News & Updates

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The National Working Group on Foster Care and Education has released Fostering Success in Education: National Factsheet on the Education Outcomes of Children in Foster Care (National Education Factsheet).This 34-page document summarizes research and studies related to the education of children in foster care and highlights data driven promising interventions and programs. Additionally, there is an updated 2-page Data at a Glance excerpt with fast facts about education and foster care.

Don't miss the November/December 2017 ABA Child Law Practice dedicated to addressing the education needs of children in foster care. Legal Center staff identified article topics and wrote content for this issue. Articles address a new ABA policy endorsing the Blueprints for Change, early childhood education, postsecondary education, the court's role in supporting education for children in foster care, how states are implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act, special education, and school engagement strategies.

U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Release Joint Guidance on the Foster Care Provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act

This joint guidance sends a strong message to schools and districts across the country that the needs of children in foster care must be addressed. The provisions go into effect December 10, 2016. State and local child welfare and education agencies must immediately begin conversations about their shared responsibility to support the school stability and success of students in foster care.

President Obama Reauthorizes Every Student Succeeds Act

On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ESSA reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), a 1965 federal law governing education last reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002. Among its provisions, the law now requires states to ensure protections for vulnerable youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. These include school stability and transportation, mandatory data reporting, and agency collaboration.